A Love Meant to Perish
by AlexisAffectsYou
Summary: Harry Potter's classmates are beginning their fourth year at Hogwarts. Hermione and Draco begin to form a reluctant friendship after a prank goes terribly awry. Will the two unlikely characters be able to let each other go after the damage is repaired? Or will they be tied together from this point forward? Rated M for some chapters.
1. Back to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: Not all events are chronological to the actual Harry Potter story. I will be picking up my story during Hermione and Malfoy's fourth year at Hogwarts (during the Triwizard Tournament). I do not own HP or any of the characters. I am so far unsure on how far this story will go, as it will be one of my few serious fanfictions; I will most likely take the feedback that I receive and decide if I want to push it farther than I have planned so far. Please review and let me know what you think! I hope that everyone enjoys!

* * *

Chapter 1: Back to School

Hermione Granger was excited for her fourth year to begin at Hogwarts. She was excited at the beginning of every year, of course, but this year would be one of the most spectacular yet. Thanks to her studious reading habits, she was already well read on the topic of this years' big event: The Triwizard Tournament. She knew that she would not get the opportunity to witness something like this again in her lifetime, so she was prepared to take full advantage of it. In addition, her and her classmates would finally get to start preparing for their O.W.L.'s!

Over the summer break, she got the chance to spend a great deal of time with Harry and Ron, as well as become closer to Ron's sister, Ginny. They had attended the Quidditch World Cup together ( _that_ had been quite the ordeal), and Hermione had been at the Weasley's for a large part of the remainder of their break. Hermione was now packing up her things for the upcoming year at Hogwarts, and in the morning she would be leaving for Platform 9 ¾ to board the Hogwarts Express. She had already visited Diagon Alley and purchased all the necessary school supplies for her fourth year classes and was excited, as she had heard from older students that classes really begin to start more interesting and challenging material in the fourth year.

Hermione double checked her list of things to pack in her trunk, and once she was certain that she had everything she needed, she took one last satisfied glance at her luggage before going to sleep.

* * *

Draco Malfoy awoke to the sound of his mother knocking on his door.

"Come in," he called out irritably.

"Good morning, Draco." Draco's mother looked around his bedroom and noted his half-packed luggage for school. "You need to get ready. We will need to leave soon for King's Cross. I will send up one of the house elves to finish packing, since you obviously neglected to do so last night."

"Good morning to you, too, Mother," Draco replied sarcastically. His mother gave him a hard look before shutting the door behind her as she left. Draco got out of bed and went to his bathroom to begin getting ready.

Draco had enjoyed his summer; he spent some time with his cronies from school (he did not really think of them as 'friends'), Crabbe and Goyle, and had liked being able to sleep in a few extra hours each day. He had even managed to find a fun girl to have a fling with; nothing serious, of course. That simply was not his style. The sex was good, though. He was, like most people, sad to see the end of summer.

 _Great. Here we go again. Another year ahead of living far from home with a handful of idiots who only keep me mildly entertained. I guess the Triwizard Tournament should be interesting, but not enough that I want to be at school all year to witness it._

Draco showered quickly, then stepped out and began dressing for the day. He wore black slacks and a t-shirt that clung to his biceps and flaunted the muscles he had gained over the summer. Whenever he had entered his bedroom, his trunk had already been packed for him by a servant and carried downstairs so he was able to grab the things he needed to carry on his person and then head downstairs where he would find his mother.

When they arrived at King's Cross, Draco stepped onto the platform and began searching for his mates. He was able to find Crabbe and Pansy Parkinson, and they found a good car on the train to ride in, assuming the rest of their group would find them. Eventually, they did and as the train took off they began catching up with each other on their summer breaks.

"So, Draco, what did you do on your break?" Pansy asked Draco. Draco inwardly rolled his eyes. It was no secret that Pansy was very interested in Draco. He, however, was not interested. He had dabbled a bit when they were second years together, but she was searching for love and that was not something he had to give, even before he had lost his virginity at the end of second year. They made out a couple of times and the girl had become obsessed. Now, Draco shuddered at the thought; she truly was ugly in the worst of ways.

"Little of this, little of that. Mostly I spent time at the manor with my family. I trust you had a good break," Draco responded with little interest.

"Oh, it was fantastic. My family and I went on vacation to America and visited a few of their major landmarks, like the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains!" Pansy was overly exuberant in her response. Any amount of attention from Draco brought out her inner psychopath, in his opinion. It was best to just let her ramble and nod along until she stopped talking. This is exactly what Draco did, occasionally making comments with Crabbe and Goyle, who were actually listening to what Pansy was saying, mostly because neither of them could get a date if they tried.

As the train neared the school, Draco decided to go and change into his robes. After he did so, he passed by a compartment with a very familiar voice coming from within.

"Oh, don't be foolish, Ron. They only let wizards over 17 in the tournament. It _is_ awfully dangerous. Besides, you would not make it past the first round with how bad you are in your studies."

Draco would recognize that annoying voice anywhere. Hermione Granger, or as he preferred, the Gryffindor Mudblood. He thought he might surprise them and say hello, in his usual manner, so he opened the door to their carriage.

"Hello," he said with a smirk. "I thought I heard you three in here."

Ron rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Oh, nothing. I just overheard your brilliant plan to become a Triwizard champion and win over the girl of your dreams. It's really too bad that she shot you down before you could even try." He winked at Hermione and laughed at his own joke. Ron looked infuriated and Hermione blushed from embarrassment.

"Shut up, Malfoy. Go bother someone else," Harry interjected. Ron threateningly held up his shabby old wand that was passed down from one of his elder brothers.

Draco smiled in triumph and before shutting the door said, "Enjoy your ride. If Ron gets into the tournament, this could be your last with that old hunk of wood."

As Draco walked away, he was feeling very confident and content. The most excitement he gets from attending Hogwarts is tormenting his three adversaries Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Nothing else provides him with as much joy as watching the bewildered looks on their faces when he makes some comment meant to demean them.

Draco made his way back to his own car, and sat down with the fellow Slytherins inside. For the remainder of the ride, Draco sat and made light conversation with his friends.

* * *

Hermione and her friends arrived at the Hogwarts Castle and stepped off the horseless carriages. The ride had been enjoyable for them, despite Malfoy's intrusion. They were excited for the feast they knew awaited in the Great Hall as they were all famished. They entered and sat at the Gryffindor table and awaited the entrance of the first years.

When they entered, Dumbledore allowed Professor McGonagall to begin the sorting ceremony. At each new addition, the Gryffindor students cheered and they each found a spot somewhere at the full table. It was hard for Hermione to believe that it was only four years ago that she was in their position. She welcomed each new Gryffindor with a smile and a wave. The other houses also cheered profusely for their new students.

Before the feast could be revealed, Dumbledore made mention of the Triwizard Tournament that would be taking place this year. He made a big deal of welcoming the two visiting schools, the Durmstrang Institute and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Hermione was interested in the new additions, but not necessarily impressed with any of their looks. She shot an annoyed look at the boys; Harry was fascinated by the Quidditch champion, Viktor Krum, and Ron was ogling at the Beaxbaton's girls. Once the new additions were seated, Dumbledore laid out the rules for the tournament, making sure all the students know the age limitations as well as the magnitude of the tasks ahead of each champion. After Dumbledore welcomed them himself, he revealed the feast and the students began excitedly digging in.

Hermione filled her plate with roast chicken and potatoes, as well as a variety of vegetables. She watched in slight disgust at the boys around her overfilled their plates three times until the desserts appeared on the table. Hermione helped herself to some treacle tart and apple pie. Her friends, miraculously, were still able to polish off two plates of desserts each until they were finally full. As Dumbledore stood to make his goodnight speech and send the first years off with their House Prefects to the dormitories.

Hermione split off from the boys and said goodnight as she went up to the girls' rooms and went up to her bed. Excited for classes to begin the following day, Hermione quickly went to sleep and got a good night's rest.

The week began as expected, and Hermione attended each of her new classes with a positive attitude and anticipation for the year to come. On Tuesday morning, Harry and Ron were grumbling about something at breakfast in the Great Hall.

"What are you two going on about? You aren't already overloaded with schoolwork, are you?"

"No, Hermione, although it isn't hard to do whenever you don't get half the assignments done over summer break, like someone we know," Ron replied pointedly. "We were talking about the fact that we have Potions with the Slytherin's today. Potions is bad enough with Snape teaching. On top of that we have to deal with Malfoy and his little gang."

Hermione looked at each of them in turn, then said, "I hope you don't plan on using that as an excuse to do poorly in class. I deal with the same issues every year and I still get top marks. Sure, Malfoy sucks, but when you are in class that should not affect your performance." Hermione wholeheartedly believed this; she never let anyone or anything interfere with her studies. "Just relax. Potions with Slytherin and Snape is nothing new to us. Think of it as a necessary evil."

The boys groaned in response and rolled their eyes in Hermione's direction. She, unbothered, got up and went to the library to do some light reading before class.

She went to History of Magic, where most of the topics covered she was already well versed in from her summer reading, as Ron had predicted that morning. Afterwards, the boys and she walked to potions together. Hermione sat near the front of the class, where she was partnered with Dean. Harry and Ron, of course, sat as far back as they could to avoid as much of Snape's and Malfoy's attention as possible. They would never have sat near her, because Malfoy was only a few feet away, at a table to Hermione's right and one row behind her. She did not let it bother her, and she actively participated in the class as much as she could.

After Snape dismissed the class, she quickly gathered her things and then stood to see where Harry and Ron were heading now that classes were finished for the day. However, in her haste, she was not paying much attention and ran headlong into—Draco Malfoy.

"Hey!" Startled, Malfoy whipped around with anger in his eyes, which quickly turned into a smirk. "What's this? In a hurry, Granger?" Hermione looked down and tried to walk past, but Malfoy blocked the aisle to keep her from moving. "Don't run off so quickly. You're looking good this year, Granger; you're really starting to… _fill out."_ Hermione's face turned bright red and she tried again to push past him. This time, he let her go, laughing obnoxiously with Crabbe and Goyle who had been standing beside him. She caught up with Harry and Ron who looked concerned but urged them not to make a scene. They walked out of the classroom and back to the dormitories, where Harry and Ron questioned Hermione about her wellbeing until, even more embarrassed, she made an excuse to go to the library for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

Draco watched Hermione run to Harry and Ron with a malicious glint in his eyes.

"Run away to your little girlfriends!" Crabbe called out, laughing stupidly.

"Aw, poor mudblood!" Goyle exclaimed, mocking the sound of a baby crying.

"They're gone, idiots. They can't hear you anymore." Draco shut down his 'friends' with a look of contempt. Although they were his only friends, he really believed they were complete dimwits.

Draco continued out the rest of his day with a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He kept reliving the moment that Granger had run straight into him. For a brief moment, he allowed himself to think that he had meant what he said, about Granger looking good this year. _This is the first time I have thought she looks somewhat decent. That horrible bushy hair has been tamed and her curves are becoming more prominent. Can I really find her attractive? She does have some fire in her. Truthfully, ever since she slapped me last year, I've felt compelled to…. What am I saying? How dare that filthy mudblood put her dirty hands on me? Disgusting._

Yes, Draco Malfoy had had a moment of weakness and admitted to himself that Hermione was, in fact, attractive. Although he quickly squashed the idea with defiance, the thought had been there, and Draco could not forget it subconsciously. However, at dinner that night, Malfoy decided he needed a distraction from these foreign thoughts.

"Crabbe, Goyle," Malfoy demanded their attention. "I want to play a prank on Granger…" he said with an evil smirk.


	2. The Prank

Over the next few weeks, Hermione had been receiving strange notes. They would appear in random places, such as a book she had been reading, or would be dropped off by some first year, mostly ones she had never even seen before. At first, she had ignored them, thinking that it was some kind of joke. However, when she continuously received them over several weeks, her curiosity was peaked. She had just received another one, and opened it up.

 _Dearest Hermione, you shine so brightly. When I see you in the hall, I start to fall. Head over heels, like the floor is covered in banana peels._

All of the notes were similar; written in boyish handwriting, by a dimwit, with no idea how to write decent poetry. She supposed that the notes were endearing, but they were dumb. She was not going to be romantically interested in anyone who was so obviously a dolt. Regardless, she still pondered at the author of the notes she was receiving, and came to no conclusions.

She had deducted that it couldn't be Harry or Ron, as she knew both of their handwriting and it looked like neither of them had written it. She was also sure that neither of them could be so corny. She tried to think of other students that she knew, but was unable to think of any that fit the description well who she believed would actually like her.

When she grew tired of thinking on such a trivial matter, Hermione decided to go to the library to do some reading. However, when she arrived, the library was far too crowded to have any peace of mind. The visiting schools had been allowed use of the Hogwarts library during their stay and had apparently chosen this day to take advantage of their privileges. Hermione, frustrated, left the library and decided that she would go to the Great Hall, where the Goblet of Fire was being kept on display for any witches or wizards that wanted to enter the Triwizard Tournament. After the initial excitement had died down, the Great Hall remained fairly empty save for a few students who, like Hermione, were searching for peace and some who were debating whether or not to enter the Tournament. It was Thursday, Halloween, and this was the last chance to enter before the champions were chosen.

While Hermione was reading, she was interrupted by the sound of heavy boots clomping on the floor. She looked up, and watched as Viktor Krum confidently dropped his name into the Goblet of Fire. As he turned around, she made eye contact with him, which held awkwardly until he had walked past where she was sitting and was no longer in his line of sight. Although she thought it was strange, Hermione went back to her reading, thinking little of what had just occurred.

When Hermione next looked at the clock, she started gathering her things so she could go meet Ginny after class so she could help her with one of the latest things she had learned in Charms. As she was packing her things into her bag, her eyes fell on the last note that she had received. Incredulous, she thought back to the awkward look she shared with Viktor Krum and had a sudden thought.

 _He couldn't honestly be the one sending me these notes…could he? He's_ famous _for heaven's sake! He could have any girl in this school. There's no reason for him to like me. I've never even talked to him! But…could it be? Is_ he _my secret admirer? He is a quidditch player, after all. He probably isn't all that bright. He looks awfully tough, but maybe he is a corny romantic under that hard exterior. Not that I would be interested anyway. I couldn't possibly have any connection with someone like him._

Hermione was happy to have some kind of clue as to who might be writing her these notes. Although she wasn't certain that it was him, Viktor Krum did seem like a likely candidate, especially considering the way he stared at her as he left the room. Hermione hurried to meet Ginny in the Gryffindor common room so that she could finally tell her only girlfriend about her secret admirer and who she believes it is.

"No way!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly as they entered their dormitory.

"I think so," Hermione stated, matter-of-factly. Ginny was ecstatic; her best friend was being admired by a _celebrity_. Not just any celebrity, but the seeker for the Bulgarians, who played at the Quidditch World Cup that year. "He's quite a dolt, as you can see by the notes he's left me."

Ginny picked one out of the stack Hermione had on her nightstand and read out loud:

 _Roses are red, your eyes are brown. There is so much I wish to tell you, but you always put me down._

"Definitely a dolt. But he seems romantic, at least," Ginny attempted to persuade her best friend. "He could make a good boyfriend." Hermione shook her head in distaste.

"I doubt it. I care too much about intelligence." Hermione stuck her nose up in the air, aware that she was being snarky but too tenacious to care. Ginny was still reading Hermione's love notes so Hermione snatched them from her and stashed them in her drawer. "Aren't I supposed to be helping you with charms or something?" Hermione asked. Ginny laughed but conceded when she saw her friend's flushed cheeks. The two girls started their work, which continued into the afternoon.

* * *

Draco had devised the perfect plan. He was going to get Granger in trouble and hurt her perfect reputation. The champions would be chosen tonight, and he would use it to his advantage.

In the Great Hall that night, the Slytherins ate and waited anxiously for the Triwizard champions to be revealed. Everyone was (somehow) shocked when the Goblet of Fire spat out not three names, but four: Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory, and (none other than) Harry Potter. When Malfoy heard Potter's name shouted uncertainly from Dumbledore's mouth, he rolled his eyes in disgust. Malfoy thought bitterly, _Of course Potter found a way around the age line. Dumbledore probably entered that twit himself._ This made Malfoy even more adamant to execute his prank. Now that he knew who the champions were, it was time to set his plan in motion. Malfoy signaled to Crabbe and Goyle, and the three mischievous boys left dinner early to go set their traps.

* * *

Hermione, Ginny, and Ron walked back to the dormitory excitedly.

"Can you believe Harry's name got drawn? How in bloody hell did he do that?" Ron asked, disbelief in his voice.

"You don't really think Harry got his name in, do you?" Ginny asked in defense of her crush. Hermione nodded her head in agreement. Suddenly, a first year stepped in front of the trio, looking at Hermione expectantly.

He handed her a piece of parchment, which she quickly tucked into the pocket of her robes. Ron looked at her questioningly, but walked on to the dorm without asking any questions. When Hermione and Ginny made it back to the dormitory, they sat on her bed and pulled out the newest note.

Hermione read over it one time, and then looked at Ginny with uncertainty. The red-headed witch, too anxious to wait any longer, took the note from Hermione's hands and read it out loud:

 _"_ _You're so smart; so beautiful that you're practically a work of art. I see you in the library; what is it that you read? At the height of the moon, would you meet me beneath the typhoon? Tell me what you read; what are your dreams?_

"What on earth does that mean?" Ginny asked Hermione. "Obviously, he wants you to meet him at midnight. What does 'beneath the typhoon' mean?"

Hermione looked back at Ginny with doubt. "I think I might know, but that doesn't mean I should go."

"Oh, come on!" Ginny pleaded. "Your secret admirer wants you to meet him at midnight. He wants to talk about your dreams," Ginny seemed like she wanted to go more than Hermione did. "Where does he want you to meet him?"

"There's a painting of a typhoon in the library. If the seat is open, I usually sit beneath it because it's private." Ginny squealed in excitement. Apparently, this meant that Hermione should definitely go. "But what if we get caught? If he wants to meet with me, he should do so at a time that is appropriate for a young lady: during the day." Hermione stated with confidence.

The red-headed witch pleaded with her brunette best friend. "But meeting at midnight is so _romantic_ ," Ginny insisted. Hermione shook her head defiantly, but Ginny was not deterred. "Come on, Hermione. I know you have to be curious. I certainly would be."

Hermione conceded that she was curious, but was still not convinced that she should go and meet this stranger at midnight in the library.

"Hermione," Ginny said to her best friend, with a serious look on her face. "One day, you're going to be a regular, boring housewife with no life and you're going to need these days to look back on and feel joy. You need to make memories that can make you happy. What if you meet your soul mate tonight?" Hermione looked at her friend, irritation on her face. Ginny tried harder. "Even worse; what if you stay here tonight and _miss out_ on meeting your soul mate?" Ginny looked at her intelligent best friend with horror on her face.

Hermione laughed at her friend and looked away. "Well…" Ginny looked at Hermione with pleading eyes. "I guess it couldn't hurt," Hermione finished. Ginny did a happy dance and went back to her bed, satisfied.

* * *

At 5 minutes until midnight, Malfoy approached Professor McGonagall's office and knocked harshly. The older professor swung the door open, and looked down at Malfoy expectantly. Having seen this particular sight before, McGonagall rolled her eyes and asked Malfoy bluntly, "Shouldn't you be in bed? What is it that you need, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I'm sorry, Professor," Malfoy said hurriedly. "I heard a rumor that one of the Gryffindor students was sneaking into the library tonight for some kind of rendezvous." McGonagall looked at Malfoy with piercing eyes, then grabbed him by the arm and lead him towards the library. Malfoy was excited to see what he would find in the library when they arrived. He tried to smother his laugh when he pictured Hermione standing in the library, with only her robes and undergarments on.

However, when the odd pair entered the library quietly, they looked down each aisle until they saw a breathless Hermione reading a book in the chair beneath a painting of a typhoon.

Professor McGonagall looked on in shock. "Mrs. Granger! What are you doing out of your dormitory at this time of night?" Hermione jumped in shock and stared at McGonagall, speechless. She shook her head, wordlessly. "I expect more of you, Mrs. Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor." Hermione hung her head in shame. "As for you, Mr. Malfoy, ten points from Slytherin." Malfoy was unperturbed. Ten points was worth seeing Hermione's face when McGonagall came around the corner and not a dreamy wizard come to claim her as his soul mate. Hermione, however, looked up quickly when she heard Malfoy's name. They made eye contact, and Malfoy winked at her. Enraged, Hermione hung her head once again to hide her expression from her professor. "Both of you should know better than to be out this late. However, since you both want to disobey rules, you can both deal with detention for the next month." At this, both fourth-years looked at McGonagall in disbelief.

"A whole month!" Malfoy argued, "That's ridiculous. That's child abuse. I'll tell my father about this!" Hermione said nothing, just kept her face hidden from view. The old professor was unbothered by Malfoy's threats, and escorted both students back to their respective dormitories. She let them both know to report in front of Hagrid's hut the following night, and every night for a month unless given further instruction.

* * *

When Hermione arrived back at her dorm, Ginny was waiting up excitedly. When she saw Hermione's downturned face, however, she was confused.

"What happened, Hermione?" The redhead asked her best friend. "Did you meet him?"

"Oh, I met him, alright," Hermione said angrily. Ginny looked at her friend, concerned. "It was Malfoy," she said shortly.

"Malfoy!" Ginny said, shocked. "He really likes you?"

"Of course not!" Hermione told her friend. "He was tricking me. He got McGonagall to come with him to get me in trouble. Now I have detention with him for an entire month." Hermione shook her head, feeling sad. "I should have known better…I never should have gone to meet my fake admirer."

Ginny felt compassion for her friend, who was so obviously sad that she didn't have a real admirer. "What a pig," Ginny said in reference to the blonde wizard who had tricked her best friend. Hermione blew out the candle next to her bed and laid down.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here, Hermione," Ginny said supportively.

"I don't really want to talk about it," Hermione said as she rolled over to face the other direction. She did not want her friend to know how much she was truly hurting from this experience. Although she told herself she wasn't interested in any secret admirer who was dimwitted enough to write those notes, she was still hurt after finding out it had been a joke the entire time.

The truth was, Hermione was lonely. Even Ginny had found guys, but Hermione was still alone with her books. _I guess I should just accept the way things are…_ Hermione thought sadly as she drifted off into a restless sleep.

* * *

When Draco got back to his dormitory, Crabbe and Goyle were waiting patiently for their ringleader. "It was a success," he told them with a smirk. His smirk fell when he thought about his punishment. "But McGonagall gave me a month's detention with Granger. Can you believe it?" Crabbe and Goyle shook their heads and agreed when Malfoy suggested she was senile.

Malfoy went to bed, trying to think of ways to tell his parents that he would be in detention for a month because he was out of bed past curfew. Otherwise, Malfoy slept soundly, unperturbed by the damage he had done to the mudblood, Hermione.


End file.
